


M II R

by steggyisimmortal



Series: Shield and Gun [13]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Royalty AU, The Crown type AU, apparently I didn't feel like renaming the King, minor smoking, possible one shot possible more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-27 04:07:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9960647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steggyisimmortal/pseuds/steggyisimmortal
Summary: No one wanted Peggy to fall in love with the American. What princess would marry someone who didn't come from titles? Fortunately, the heir presumptive was used to getting her way.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by my love of The Crown.
> 
> I saw there was another story that had The Crown as their inspiration. I have not read that fic and this one has been complete before publishing for a while now. Any similarities are strictly coincidental. 
> 
> Plot inspiration: My persuasion can build a nation. Endless power with our love we can devour. You’ll do anything for me.

* * *

“You did what?”

 

“I said yes.”

 

“Without even asking your mother or me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Margaret, are you sure that was wise?  Have you considered all of your options?”

 

“Yes, papa, I have.  However, contrary to everyone’s wishes, there has only ever been one choice.”

 

Peggy watched her father take a long drag from his cigarette.  She understood she had shocked him but she was standing firm in her decision.  She watched the king step around his desk to gaze out the window.  He was silent for several long moments before turning around to face her again.  She looked at him expectantly.

 

“Are you sure, Peg?

 

“Yes, papa.  He’s the one.”

 

“Surely one of the other … fine young gentlemen your mother has introduced to you would be better suited to the pressures of the position?”

 

“Papa.”

 

They stared at one another until King George cracked the barest of smiles at his daughter’s determination.  Peggy smirked back, satisfied with her father’s show of approval.

 

* * *

 

“What’d he say?”

 

“Nothing,” Peggy answered.  “He smiled and lit up another wretched cigarette.  He wondered why I hadn’t ask their permission.  I didn’t have the heart to tell him the thought never even crossed my mind.”

 

Steve chuckled. 

 

“He did ask that we keep quiet about it until after my twenty first birthday but I suppose he’ll want to speak to us about that at supper tonight.”

 

“Sounds reasonable enough, I suppose.”

 

Peggy turned to face her new fiancé.  He wasn’t the conventional choice but he was the only choice she could make.  No one else would ever hold an appeal for her the way he did. 

 

Steven Rogers was an unusual choice of a match for the heir to the British throne.  He was everything the elite upper class hated – he was opinionated, outspoken, deeply American, and worst of all, he was practically a commoner.  None of that mattered to Peggy. 

 

She had never liked the idea of arranged marriages like some members of the upper echelon.  It seemed so impersonal.  That hadn’t been on her parent’s agenda for her, though, and she was grateful.  Her father had fought gallantly to win over her mother; they didn’t see the point in choosing their daughter’s suitor for her.  On the contrary, they believed her too young to be married.  Peggy thought otherwise. 

 

When Steve had proposed to her the day before she had been so overjoyed, she blurted out her answer before she had a chance to form a complete thought.  She’d had her eyes fixed on him for far too long to ever be able to say no when presented with her deepest desire. 

 

“I suspect they’ll try and delay proceedings as long as they can,” she continued on. 

 

“Why?” Steve wondered. 

 

“To get me to change my mind, darling.”

 

She laughed as she let him back her up against the nearest tree.  He wriggled his eyebrows and pressed close to her. 

 

“And will you?” he asked.  “Will you change your mind and marry some horrendously proper Englishman, leaving your life so frustratingly boring you may wish yourself dead at times?”

 

She quirked a brow at his description.  She held his eyes strong and sure.  She saw so much behind his.  His doubts and worries but also his love.  He needed her as much as she needed him.  She needed to be his anchor while he needed to be her freedom. 

 

“Never.”

 

With an imperceptible nod, he cupped her face between his hands and covered her mouth with his.  She melted into his touch.  Not for the first time she was grateful they had chosen to take a walk away from the prying eyes of the estate.  It was a miracle they’d managed to dodge their chaperones as well. 

 

She happily followed his lead.  Their encounters were becoming more frequent and she was a fast learner under his tutelage.  His kiss was firm but tender.  His lips were always unbelievably soft.  She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed him close to her.  She could feel his fingers tangling in her hair, mindful of her hair clip, his thumbs smoothing over her features in a familiar manner. 

 

The kiss ended naturally, unhurried with the promise of many more to come.  He placed a kiss to her forehead before leaning his head against hers.

 

Her fingers dug into his sides.  She closed her eyes.  “Are you sure you can handle me as your wife?”

 

She knew he knew she wasn’t just speaking of herself as an individual but herself as an heir.  He’d have to give up everything when it came her time to rule.  He wouldn’t be able to lay claim to his uncle’s shipping business in America.  His military career would more than likely cease.  She remembered when her father took the crown after her uncle abdicated.  Her quiet life and simple interests had been rendered obsolete in less than a week.  The individual ceased to exist while the crown flourished.  No matter how badly she wanted Steve, there were moments she was sure he didn’t quite realize what he was getting himself into.

 

She felt his lips linger at her temple before she felt his eyes on her.  She opened her eyes slowly to see him gazing down at her quizzically. 

 

“I think… as long as we keep each other grounded I can handle anything,” he said sincerely.

 

Peggy smiled.  Her emotions bubbled up but she found she couldn’t say anything.  He was always surprising her.  For four years there had been reason after reason to love him.  He’d never given her any doubt.

 

She leaned up to kiss him when a figure moving out of the corner of her eye distracted her.  She let out a quick grunt of displeasure.  Steve turned to see what caught her eye, his groan of annoyance soon mixing with hers.

 

“I was hoping she wouldn’t notice,” he said of their appointed chaperone. 

 

The two scarcely had a moment alone.  Her longtime governess, Miriam Fry, had been given the task of supervising every moment between the couple.  On the occasions the older woman wasn’t suitable enough for the outing, Peggy’s younger sister would accompany them. 

 

“Do you think if we just stay still she won’t notice us?”

 

“Not likely.  We could stand behind a brick wall and she’d know exactly where we are.”

 

“Well, she’s slipping so far.  She hasn’t looked over here once.”

 

As if she heard his words, Miriam turned her head in their direction.  Peggy could practically see her eyes light up with relief at finding her charge. 

 

“Oh damn.  She sees us.  She’s gonna drag us back and sit us on opposite sides of the room as punishment.”

 

Miriam took off marching toward them, not quite running but it wasn’t exactly a walk.  Peggy looked up at Steve.  She didn’t want their time to end now.  She didn’t want to go back to her well-meaning, but incredibly irritating, chaperone.  Maybe there was something they could do to stall her. 

 

“What do we do?”

 

Steve looked around them before he grabbed her hand firmly in his.

 

“Run!”

 

Their giggles filled the air as they tore off across the property and disappeared into a patch of trees.

 

* * *

 

Angie just knew something had changed about her sister.  She assumed it was due to Steve’s presence at their summer holiday home.  They saw each other so fleetingly, her sister never failed to act as carefree as a floating feather.  They were still the best worst kept secret in all of England.  The papers were speculating on the nature of their relationship but their father wouldn’t let Peggy and Steve be seen together in public for too long.  Peggy was practically in heaven Steve had been allowed to visit them at Sandringham for a few months.

 

They were a sickening pair.  They hadn’t stopped making eyes at one another across the table throughout supper.  Her sister had made polite conversation with a few relatives sitting close by but as soon as she was done speaking her eyes were back on Steve.  He was no better.  She wanted to vomit at the sight.

 

“Are you going to say what’s on your mind or are you going to continue staring at us all evening?”

 

Angie started.  She hadn’t expected her sister to notice her eyes going between Steve and her.  She hadn’t expected either one to notice anything.  She looked over and saw Peggy slowly bringing a spoonful of soup to her mouth.  She saw Steve glance at her before he turned to speak to her uncle beside him.  She lifted her own spoon full of soup to her lips and swallowed before responding.

 

“You sound nervous, sister.  Maybe I’ll continue staring until mother wonders why I haven’t spoken a word to anyone.”

 

Peggy wasn’t to be deterred by the veiled threat.  “Can you focus on something that long?”

 

Angie sneered at Peggy.  “I can when you keep secrets from me.”

 

Peggy finally glanced over at her sister for the first time since they sat down.  Her brows were knitted but Angie knew that was just for show.  Her sister was a cunning woman, able to play dumb despite possessing a comprehensive knowledge on whatever subject was at hand.  If she didn’t know much about the topic, she would scour the books until she had a passing knowledge. 

 

“What secrets am I keeping from you?” Peggy asked.  Angie narrowed her eyes at her sister.

 

“Something’s different about you,” she hissed.  She dropped her spoon and leaned closer.  “Something happened to you that you’re not telling me about.  We tell each other everything!”

 

Peggy couldn’t help the smile that she tried desperately to bite back.  Ever since Steve had become a regular fixture of her life, Angie had been rebelling at losing her sister’s time.  She hadn’t accepted easily that her sister’s time was split in half between her old life and a new one looming.  Peggy was loathe to explain to her this was just the beginning. 

 

“We do,” Peggy agreed gently, “but sometimes there are details of my life which I must keep to myself.  Even if for a short time.”

 

On seeing Angie’s pout, Peggy tried a different approach.  “You like Steve, don’t you?”

 

“Of course I like him,” she whispered harshly.  Feeling the disapproving eyes of her mother, she softened her tone.  “It’s bloody impossible not to.  Even if he is American.”

 

The sisters shared a smile. The most common complaint against her relationship with Steve was his American mother.  Angie was one of the rare few who never cared about that, who instead focused on Steve’s attractiveness. 

 

“Do you think mother will ever like Steve?” Peggy asked.  She smiled at the attendant removing her soup bowl.

 

Angie glanced over at their mother.  She was currently speaking animatedly to an old friend of the family.  Her hands were gesturing in the air and she wasn’t paying her daughters a bit of attention.

 

“In time, I think so,” she admitted.

 

“Really?”

 

“She may not like him more than Daniel but I think in time she’ll adore him.  Why?  Is there something you want to tell me?”

 

Peggy chuckled softly at her sister’s interrogation. 

 

“No, I simply wanted your opinion.”

 

* * *

 

Steve lit up a cigarette.  Hopefully no one would notice his absence.  He just needed one moment with his worst vice.  He’d been cornered by a bore of a man he couldn’t remember the name of.  He’d proceeded to talk Steve’s ear off for close to an hour before he managed to sneak away.

 

He was supposed to give up his smoking habit.  Peggy despised it.  She hated the smell and the habit of it, the way victims were always reaching for a smoke every few moments.  It wasn’t that much of a chore to give up the habit.  She was worth it.  He’d find a different hobby to replace the need should he feel the itch.

 

He was grateful to be granted this time with her.  Everyone was trying to keep them apart as much as possible to stem the romance but Steve didn’t see the point.  His heart was set on her.  Had been for some time.  He wouldn’t have spent so much time writing to her otherwise.  He hated letter writing.  Always made his hands cramp up because it took him hours to find the right words to adequately convey his thoughts.  But he wrote countless letters to her while they were apart. He kept hers in a tiny box that had been his father’s. 

 

He didn’t know what had come over him the other day.  He hadn’t planned on proposing.  He’d had it worked out in his head.  He was going to speak to the king, ask him for her hand in marriage the way he was supposed to.  But the sight of her in the garden… She was laughing at something he’d said; he didn’t remember what now.  He just knew he had to ask her. 

 

If he was being honest with himself, thinking back on it now, he didn’t want to give her father a reason to say no.  Not that Steve thought he would have said no but he wasn’t English and he certainly didn’t have a particularly relevant title.  The king had to approve the match but Steve knew his odds of the king approving of him increased tenfold if his daughter could input her two cents.  No one could refuse Princess Peggy Carter.

 

“There you are.” 

 

He turned to see Peggy moving gracefully down the hall.  He saw her eye the cigarette in his hand.  He smiled sheepishly.

 

“I’m sorry.  I’ll quit,” he promised.  “This is my last one, I swear.”

 

He glanced around for an ashtray but when he came up empty, he snuffed the butt out on his shoe.  He smiled triumphantly at her. 

 

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”

 

“We’ve barely had a moment together all evening so no.”  Her toes nudged against his.  “You have not.”

 

It took everything in him not to grab her and kiss her until she couldn’t breathe. 

 

His eyes panned down her body, taking in her off the shoulder cream colored evening gown.  The corset was beaded and accented all the right areas.  She wasn’t overly fond of dresses that showcased her décolletage.  She was well endowed enough that men stared no matter what she was wearing.  She liked to diminish it as much as possible.  Regardless, Steve desperately hoped he’d see this dress on her again in the near future.

 

“You look beautiful tonight, Peg.”

 

“Thank you.  It’s about time you said something.”

 

“Oh, you think you’re funny, do you?”

 

She pressed close to him.

 

“Only when I’m teasing you.”

 

He wrapped her in his embrace and drew her closer until he could kiss her.  He wanted to melt in a pool at her touch.  The delicateness of it.  The power of it.  His fingers tugged at the lacing on the back of her dress.  He was tempted but settled for running his fingers over the satin.  He could feel her small fingers inching underneath his jacket.  Her touch was so light it tickled him but he didn’t dare stop to laugh.  He wanted to enjoy every second with her he could.

 

“Peggy, I wa-”

 

“Ah, there you are.” 

 

Steve’s head whipped around hard.  Peggy started so bad Steve thought he could feel a bruise forming on his pelvis.  She pushed herself away just as quickly.  Steve tried to look innocent in front of her father but it was hard considering he’d been prepared to undress the king’s baby girl right there in the darkened hallway.  He could see Peggy’s cheeks turning a deep red.

 

“Can I see both of you in my study?”

 

Like scolded school children they nodded.  Steve could have sworn he saw her father smirking at the two of them before he strutted off towards his office.

 

“You’re blushing,” he whispered in Peggy’s ear.  Her knuckles connected with his belly button.

 

* * *

 

The king stared across his desk at the couple.  His daughter was headstrong.  Quiet but headstrong.  Once she had her mind set on something, nothing could stand in her way.

 

“My daughter tells me she has accepted your proposal.”

 

King George lit a cigarette while the young couple squirmed in their seats.  It was too easy, really.  Peggy wasn’t one to do much of anything outside the rules and he had it under good authority that he scared the pants off Steve.

 

Steve glanced over at Peggy several times, shifting in his seat, before he finally chose to say something.

 

“Sir, I know I probably should have asked for permission.  I was going to.  Ask for permission, that is.”

 

Steve looked at Peggy, who nodded for him to continue.  The king paused in taking a drag when the young man’s hand reached for his daughter’s.

 

“But when we were walking and I looked at her I just knew I couldn’t wait.  I just blurted it out.  I don’t think I expected her to say yes.”

 

“I was too caught up in the moment to think otherwise, papa,” Peggy spoke over Steve.  “To be fair, I did come to you first thing the next day.”

 

“I was, too, but you’d already gone out hunting and there wasn’t – “

 

The king waved him off.  Steve promptly stopped talking. 

 

He kept quiet, gathering his thoughts.  He couldn’t fault the man for wanting to marry his daughter.  She was intelligent and beautiful with the perfect temperament combination of himself and her mother.  She reminded him of himself truthfully.  He pursued his wife for months, anxiously trying to wear her down into accepting his marriage proposal before she finally accepted.  She hadn’t wanted to fall in love with an heir to the throne.  He assured her if he were to become king it wouldn’t be for years down the line thanks to his brother being the heir presumptive.  Thanks to his persuasive nature and his love for her, she finally said yes after three years.

 

After almost five years of exchanging letters with her American beau, Peggy had far surpassed her father’s patience for courtship. 

 

“Are you prepared… to love my daughter and support her in her role as heir to the throne?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

The king nodded.

 

“Are you prepared to give up your claims and titles?”

 

“I am.”

 

“Papa, is this reall - ”

 

“Are you prepared to give up your identity and fade into the background for not only the sake of my daughter but the crown?”

 

Steve looked at Peggy, brows knit, but answered just as quickly as the first question.

 

“Yes, sir.  I’m prepared for anything.”  The earnestness in his voice was assuring.  “I love your daughter, Your Majesty.”

 

He nodded.  He looked at the photographs on his desk.  His favorite was the family portrait.  The girls were young.  Despite the lack of smiles on their faces he remembered that day in good detail.  The girls had been playing games and laughing with one another.  He remembered feeling worried that their spirits would be down so soon after the coronation but they’d proven him wrong.  His girls truly were the light of his life.

 

He didn’t know if he was prepared for his eldest daughter to start a life of her own.

 

He glanced back at the couple.  His daughter looked composed but Steve looked like he was facing the firing squad.

 

“Do you have a ring?”

 

Steve grinned uneasily.  “Uh, not yet, sir. I do have something in mind, though.”

 

“That doesn’t bother me, papa,” Margaret insisted.  Truth be told it didn’t bother him either.  He wanted to see if the boy would crack under the pressure.

 

He stubbed out his cigarette butt. 

 

“Well, it would seem I can do nothing else but approve this union.”

* * *


End file.
